science and human happiness essay in english

Science and Human Happiness Essay & Paragraph

How does human happiness relate to science? How is modern science influencing and changing our way of life? How much do our daily needs, aspirations, and happiness depend on science? What is the contribution of science to the development and progress of human civilization ? Can’t our life be happy without the help of science? These are questions that require thinking. And the answer to these lies in our following 1000-word long scholarly essay: ‘Science and Human Happiness’. Then there is a short 100-word ‘Science and Human Happiness Paragraph’, which summarizes the subject in a few sentences.

Science and Human Happiness Essay, 1000 Words

By: Haque | For: Higher readers | 12-06-’22

Modern life and science are inextricably linked. Much of human happiness today depends on the way in which man uses the vast power that science has bestowed upon him. Science is the only major civilizational yardstick by which progress and prosperity of human civilization can be best gauged. It is virtually impossible to imagine how the modern man can survive in the absence of the various discoveries and inventions which the scientists have made from time to time and which have rendered modern life comfortable and worth living. The life-changing electricity, the improved means of transport, magical communication, and organized lifestyle have all become an indivisible part of modern life. Apart from these milestones, science has done immense help to us by inculcating a scientific outlook in us which moves the wheel of civilization in pursuit of newer scientific discoveries and inventions for the betterment of mankind.

Happiness today would mean not only freedom from want and drudgery but also the positive feelings generated by a civilized existence in a comfortable and secure home embellished by varied means of entertainment. The major source of happiness is electricity which is one of the astounding scientific discoveries so far made. It has not only driven away age-old darkness but also made everything possible. From small domestic gadgets to large-scale industry electricity is the sine qua non. The modern world minus electricity is unimaginable. Modern cities, modern industries, and above all modern life are squarely defined by electricity.

Agriculture, the lifeline of mankind, is greatly developed by scientific equipment and methods. Had there been no science, agriculture would have been incapable of feeding above seven billion people today. The land is finite. The development of the hybrid variety of crops has enabled highly populated countries India and China to feed their burgeoning populations . Improved transport and storage facilities have finally secured man against the ravages of droughts and famines. Revolutions in agriculture by scientific methods have brought about an unprecedented increase in the production of food grains. This has rendered countries self-reliant in food production and made starvation death a scourge of the past. If one-third of the population of the world still goes half-fed or undernourished, the fault lies not with science but with the political and social systems prevalent in most parts of the globe which are still impaired by exploitation, inequity, and discrimination.

Luxury, comfort, and leisure time have been assured to man by science. Man is no longer subject to the tyranny of the elements — to freezing cold and scorching heat. Central heating systems, air conditioners, and air coolers developed and designed by scientists and technicians have made it possible for human beings to keep their homes, offices, and workshops at a desirable temperature most conducive to body and production. Domestic drudgery is rendered the status of a fairy tale in most of our houses. Electronic and electrical gadgets like refrigerators, grinders, ovens, induction cookers, pressure cookers, etc. have eliminated drudgery at home. For entertainment, science has placed us a number of discoveries and inventions like televisions , music systems, films, and a host of many gadgets and instruments.

Unforeseen progress in transport and communication has been of huge help and comfort to modern man. Distance is no longer a matter of concern nor is accessibility. The whole world has turned into a global village after the invention of high-speed automobiles and jet planes. The development of roadways, railways, airways, waterways, and conveyances has been possible by scientific research and discoveries. It is now possible for a man to go from one corner of the world to another corner in the smallest possible time. Communication devices masterminded by scientists are helping people in a great many ways. Computers , the internet , and other electronic means of communication are blessings for mankind. Governance, business, trade and commerce, bilateral relations, and international cooperation are effective and successful for the development of transport and communication.

In the health sector science has been a messiah of common people from chronic and fatal diseases like cancer, AIDS, Hepatitis B, etc. Health services have been made cheap and affordable for the poor and the needy. Medicines, surgical instruments, measuring instruments, scanners, difficult surgeries, and many medical instruments and machines have been gifts of science to mankind. Life-saving drugs have reduced mortality rates drastically. Man is assured of good health by science. It leads to happiness because man lives a healthy and disease-free life.

Modern cities and urban amenities are well-designed and structured to give us a sense of the most civilized being. Delicious dishes, entertainment facilities, modern parks, round-the-clock transport, wifi environment all have been tributes of science to mankind. Even the face of rural areas is being transformed with the inclusion of modern discoveries and inventions. Science and scientific outlook have recovered the rural communities from the age-old darkness of superstitions, ignorance, and traditional evils. We think scientifically now.

Science and scientific outlook have filled our hearts with joys and happiness without which mankind would have been grappling with barbarism to date. It has enriched life, made us more rational, and rendered life comfortable and worth living. However, the discovery and inventions of modern warfare, destructive weapons, and fatal means which are all possible by science are posing threat to the survival of mankind. But for this inhuman devolvement science is not at fault; rather it is we who have misused science against the interest of mankind. Science is a bad master but a good servant. In fact, the importance of science and technology is second to none on the earth.

Science and Human Happiness Paragraph, 100 Words

By: Haque | For class 6-7 | 05-04-’22

Science is deeply involved in our lives today. Our daily needs, aspirations, and happiness depend on science. The wonder of science has made our lives easier. Electricity, high-speed travel and transportation, instant communication, and advanced medical care are all a gift of science. Even our means of entertainment are also contributed by science. Without the help of science, our life can never be happy. So, we can say without hesitation that science has brought a lot of happiness and comfort to human life. However, it is not impossible to misuse scientific discoveries. Weapons of mass destruction are examples of misuse. We should make good use of the power and potential of science and prevent its misuse.

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Science and Human Happiness Essay

This age of ours is the age of science, and much of man’s happiness depends on how man utilizes the immense power of science. Imagic how the man of today can survive without the various scientific discoveries and inventions made from time to time, which have rendered his life comfortable and worth living. Think of electricity, the wireless, the airplane, the railway, the motor car, wonderful drugs, and thousand and one other achievements of science, which have become indispensable for our day-to-day existence. Science has also given man something which is much more useful-the scientific outlook-without which he cannot make progress that lice. in store for him.

Scientific outlook helps a man to ascertain facts, grape them accurately. It gives him training in observation, a rational habit of mind. It widens immensely the horizon of the mind, extends its range, gives it a score of infinite possibilities, and makes life more interesting and alive. It is rare to find a scientist who is a pessimist for he lives in an atmosphere of progress. The scientist is an explorer of an unknown world with infinite possibilities of discovery; and not only is the act of discovery exciting, but it leads on to actions, to practical results. It seeks to know, but also to transform the world, and this is a further stimulus to those who follow it.

Scientific outlook tends to analyze every object. Chemistry resolves matters into elements, physics resolves it into atoms, biology resolves organic life into cells. Now this spirit which is born of the scientific outlook has become characteristic of any kind of scientific inquiry in any field.

But the various scientific discoveries and inventions and the scientific outlook which the study of science has engendered have not proved to be unmixed blessings for mankind. Science has, no doubt, made man’s life more comfortable, healthy and bright, and it has given in the forward look, and the spirit of inquiry, but it has also brought about certain complications and created some new problems which stand in the way of human happiness. [the_ad id=”17141″]

For example, science has upset international relations by annihilating space. It has abolished distance, made the five continents adjacent countries, and unified the world. At the beginning of the nineteenth century a letter from England to weeks, in favorable circumstances to reach America, and its arrival was uncertain. Today one can speak from London to a friend in New York within fifteen minutes and be with him in twelve hours. All kinds of materials can be dow brought from distant countries at a much cheaper price than could be imagined a hundred years ago. Under such circumstances, the international relations of the past are an anachronism, and fit the body politic as ill as the clothes of a child fit a grown-up man. But the people of different nations have not yet developed the outlook demanded by modern condition, and they still think in an isolated and provincial manner of an earlier age to which steam and electricity were unknown. This fact has created a serious problem which is responsible for much of modern conflicts in the international field, and which has led to much human misery in the form of wars.

Another problem created by science is that it has given man the power to abolish poverty, but this power has brought fortune in the hands of a few nations, who are too uneducated to spend it intelligently. Instead of using huge amounts of wealth placed in the hands of the scientifically advanced nations of the world, for the good of mankind as a whole, these nations are trying to exploit the poorer nations and dominate them politically and economically. Every capacity is a capacity for evil as well as for good, and each addition to human power is a chance to misuse it. For example, the printing press has distributed more falsehood, corruption and rubbish lo men than wisdom, knowledge and beauty. [the_ad id=”17142″]

Modern technology, whereas it has greatly accelerated the industrial progress of the world has impaired craftsmanship replacing it by mass manufacture, turning the skilled worker into an automaton on the production line, making men richer in their possessions and poorer in themselves. Ruskin rightly remarked. No changing of place at a hundred miles an hour, nor the making of stuff a thousand yards a minute, will make us one whit stronger, happier, or wiser. There was always more in the world than men could see, walked they ever so slowly; they will see it oo better for going fast. As for being able to talk from place to place, that is indeed, well and convenient but suppose you have, originally, nothing to say! We shall be obliged at last to confess, what we should look ago have lown, that the really precious things are thought and sight, not pace. It does a bullet no good to go fast ; and if a man be truly a man, no harm to go slow; for his glory is not at all in going, but in being.”

The outlook is also not free from certain glaring disadvantages. Purely scientific education has a harrowing effect. Natural science seems so all-embracing, that we do not notice. that vast regions of life and these the most important du got to come within its view, and a mind dominated by it would naturally be inclined to ignore or underestimate them. It has little to say about those creations of the human spirit which aloge are immortal, great literature or great art. Moreover, the spirit of analysis engendered by scientific outlook has got its own serious limitations. By subjecting everything to minute analysis was, in the words of Wordsworth, ‘murder to dissect. The parts, even if they are complete, are aot the same as the whole. Dissolved into atoms the solid world is no longer itself. Reduced to cells or to an amalgam of psychological impulses, human beings no more make that whole which commands our devotion, than some shredded dissections of human tatters is that warm and breathing beauty of flesh which our hearts find delightful’. Analyze a thing and the life leaves it, but life is the most important thing in the world, and analysis not only does help us to see it, but it encourages us. So potent and interesting an engrossing is it to forget the existence of what it cannot reveal. [the_ad id=”17150″]

Science has also created some crucial problems, which, if not adequately solved, will jeopardize human existence, and bring sun told misery to mankind. But we cannot blame, science for this; it is man who is to blame. Under the new conditions created by science, man must change his primitive outlook. Science is guiltless; it is our hands that are unclean. Science poes steadily about her work, revealing the greatness of man, and if he misuses it, he is to be blamed for it. The gifts of science do not a corrupt man. If new problems are created by the discoveries and inventions of science, and man is exposed to new temptations and thrown into confusion, it does not mean that le should go back on science. We must go forward. A great pew force that comes into the world is revolutionary, and for the moment upsets and confuses the minds of men. That was true op all great movements as of science. In the course of time, man will prove himself equal to the task of solving these problems and meet the new challenge successfully, and will certainly survive the crisis precipitated by science as the past.

The most astounding modern inventions is the invention of the atomic and hydrogen bomb. But we do hope that man will be able to survive this crisis and use these tremendous energies. for his benefit rather than for his destruction, as in the past. Already the Atomic Energy Commission of the United Nations is devoting extensive and unflagging attention to the effects of radiant energy both those that may prove to be beneficent and those that may maim or kill, When man first discovered fire he began a large apprenticeship to caution in dealing with what is both useful and dangerous and the end is not yet. To control the use of this power, explore its nature, its implications and potential applications, and at the time time to protect us against all dangers-these possibilities set a series of tasks that also are: all but immeasurable. Ultimately man is the measure of all things,’ and we do hope that he will in course of time learn to control the power that science has placed in his hand, and also adjust himself to the changed conditions in such a manner that it will contribute to his happiness. [the_ad id=”17144″]

Albert Einstein, the greatest of modern times, gave the key to the problem of science and human happiness when he remarked: “Why does this magnificent applied science, which saves work and makes life easier, brings us so little happiness? The simple answer runs-because we have not yet learned to make sensible use of it.

ID war, it serves that we may poison and mutilate each other. In peace, it has made our lives hurried and uncertain. Instead of freeing us in great measure from spiritually exhausting tabor, it has made men into slaves of machinery, who for the most part complete their monotonous long day’s work with disgust, and must continually tremble for their poor rations.

Certainly, we want science to be used for the betterment of Human beings and humanity. Pure science is important because it is a search for truth. Nevertheless, we want to apply it for the betterment of human beings. It is not only justified but it is right. On the other hand, if in the pursuit of that objective you make science and the pursuit of truth a kind of bondmaid to set policies which you have in mind-political or other-then, perhaps the temper of science is affected and the approach to science is not exactly what it should be.

One sees, on the one hand, people some time praising science and other times becoming very apprehensive because science has led to discoveries and use of the tremendous powers of nature which can be used for good or evil and which has produced terrible weapons of mass slaughter. Surely that is not the fault of science. It is the fault of human beings which misuse the science. Science is acutrai as truth is neutral. There is no question of its beiog positive or negative. It is no good blaming science or scientists. If you blame science you can as well blame koowledge. Knowledge misused is dangerous, yet we want and seek knowledge. We must toow how to use it properly. [the_ad id=”17151″]

“We do live in an extraordinary age when skies are filled up day and night by planes carrying hydrogen bombs. It is an extraordinary thought that a loss of care by the commander of the aircraft or a slight mistake of organization might lead to a terrific consequence. All these are being done as a measure of precaution. It docs appear strange that we have been reduced to such straits as to take such enormous risks as a measure of precaution. It is no good blaming science for it. Science must go on. The moment science ceases to develop, the nations become static and decay. We have to establish ourselves to the approach and ways of science so as to benefit by it and not to use it for evil purposes.

Scientists, therefore, should gradually develop something of the wisdom of the sages and something of the compassion of saints. Science thus far had not been conditioned by saintly things. Sometimes those who dealt with them in that way deluded themselves and went astray. It was rather dangerous. Yet, the fact remained that a good deal of wisdom was necessary as also a good deal of compassion and not merely scientific discoveries and achievements, good and essential as the latter were.

The scientist is supposed to be an objective seeker after truth. Science has grown because in a large measure the great scientists have sought truth in the way. But I suppose no man today, even a scientist, can live in a world of his own, in some kind of ivory tower, cut off from what is happening. Therefore, science today has perhaps begun to cross the borders of morals and ethics. If it gets divorced completely from the realm of morality and ethics, then the power it possesses may be used for evil pare poses. But above all, if it ties to the gospel of hatred and violence, then undoubtedly it will have taken & the wrong direction which will bring much peril to the world.

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83. English Essay Example on: Science and Human Happiness

Science and Human Happiness

The modern age is the age of science. Wherever we go, we find articles based on some of the other scientific formulas.

For instance, many of the students and office goers get awakened with the help of an alarm clock. The factory goers learn about the factory time through the buzzing of a hooter.

People generally go to places of work by using one or the other vehicle. The food they eat is prepared on the stove or gas oven. The clothes they wear are prepared in big factories and mills.

Science has enabled the modern man to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fishes. Even more than that he can even travel in space which the birds can’t do. All the modem means of travel and other devices are the inventions of science.

Some of important devices and inventions and discoveries used by the common man are electric bulb, fluorescent tube, mixer, juicer, oven, grinder, refrigerator, TV, cinema, paper, printing press, bus, car, ship, tractor, aeroplane, microscope, telescope, X-Ray, A.C, railway train,computer, telephone, telegraph system, etc.

One important discovery of science is electricity which has made the working of so many factories and mills possible.

Inventions and discoveries in agriculture and irrigation methods have enabled food for the teeming millions on earth. Means of travel and communication have become faster and cheaper. Inventions in medical science have led to longevity and reduction in the ratio of child mortality. Life has become comfortable for the common man.

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Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness Essay

Introduction, ancient concept of happiness and good life, modern concepts of happiness and good life, the relation between earlier and contemporary concepts.

Positive psychology is a science of positive features of the life of a human being, including happiness, welfare, and prosperity. It stretches back in history a long way. The modern studies of happiness and ancient views on the good life relate and contrast to each other from different angles.

The ancient studies and views on happiness and excellence in life mainly focus on virtue. The scholars and philosophers, from East and West, put across various perspectives on the reality of happiness.

The prominent Greek philosopher Aristotle says that every individual strives for happiness as an effective comprehension of their intrinsic qualities and thrives to achieve it as a goal of human life. In his Nicomachean Ethics , he analyses human intellect and personality with relation to happiness, in which he drew a beautifully balanced relation between happiness and virtue. A eudemonic person chooses to do what reflects his best characteristics as a human being and utilizes external or material goods only to produce conducting conditions for achieving eudemonia.

Aristotle’s concept of virtue and doctrine of the mean

Aristotle differentiated virtues or excellent qualities as moral virtues and intellectual virtues. Moral virtue depicts the manifestation of an individual’s personality developed by the actions and choices that become habitual. It’s measured as a mean between two extreme qualities; is excessiveness and deficiency. However, intellectual virtues focus on rationality focus on rationality and pragmatic intelligence. It depicts one should know in every condition how to do the right thing at the right time in the right way. (Charles Sylvester).

Epicurus however expressed some inclination towards ethical hedonism and subjective happiness. According to him, happiness is freedom from pain in the body and a disturbance in the mind. A man starts every act of choice and evasion from pleasure, and using this experience of pleasure as the criterion of every good thing, he returns to it.

Stoic emphasizes the notion that the vital quality of human beings is rational thinking. He held the opinion that virtue contributes to eudemonia and vice prevents eudemonia (Juhi Sihvola). Controlling pain is not in our hands, though we can avoid it through tolerant and courageous acknowledgment of unpleasant things. Nothing can be detrimental to a virtuous man, either he lives or he dies (Socrates).

Steering towards the school of thought in the East, the idea of happiness is found more inclined from individual to humanitarian perspectives.

Confucius introduced the idea of compassion to happiness. His focus is on being righteous in one’s actions, rather than being hedonistic. He cultivated love and generosity towards humankind. A perfect form of virtue can be achieved if one follows five qualities in their life: solemnity, nobility of character, honesty, genuineness, and compassion. (Confucius).

In Taoism, Laozi’s emphasis was on living a life by the general pattern of nature, giving the arbitrary choice a second priority. It promotes people to concord with nature and mankind by focusing on simplicity and harmony in their lives. However, an opinion worth mentioning is that it’s hard to free the world from subjective human values.

Gautama Buddha, a Nepalese-born founder of Buddhism, also concurs with the existence of sorrow in suffering in human life but he attributes it to the penchant of human desire. The desire must be eradicated and this could be achieved through his Aryan Eightfold Path that that suggests a right form of view, objective, action, speech, profession, effort, awareness, and meditation pursued by an individual. (Inderbir K Sandhu).

The modern theories on happiness came forward with more liberalism in them. Modern happiness and satisfaction are eventually things that are determined by an individual’s evaluation of his mental and sentimental states (Charles Sylvester). It provides a very supple concept of happiness- different for each individual and based mainly on fulfillment of his desires. In the modern era, the concept of subjective well-being (SWB) has emerged.

Subjective Well-being

It is that field of positive psychology in which it is tried to figure out how people assess their lives. Their different aspects of life are examined to judge how they perceive their experiences and feelings (Charles Sylvester). It gives a picture of their general degree of happiness and contentment.

English terms such as happiness, well-being, and flourishing can have greatly different implications which make our interpretations of the Greek term more complex (Thornton Lockwood). But the difference of opinion between the two lies with the practical notion, not on a semantic or conceptual basis. The concept of subjective well-being and desire-satisfaction attributes largely to the fissure of contrast between ancient and contemporary approaches. (Julia Annas).

In Richard Kraut’s view, the essential constituent of happiness is an optimistic mindset towards life. One is happy with their life when their wishes and desires are fulfilled, whatever they may be.

Wayne Sumner retorts that virtues are not necessary to be achieved. In his view even ethically challenged people to feel happy and positive with their lives if they believe that their desires are getting satisfied (independent of the authenticity of their belief).

Juhi Sihvola argues with Sumner’s denial of some of the primeval views and claims to be aligned with the ancient concept in her view that a positive attitude towards life is both essential and adequate for one’s happiness.

Edip Yuksel divides the concept of happiness into temporal and permanent happiness: the first is our present response to a certain pleasant experience, while the second is our sense of self-satisfaction from our overall aspects of life. It all depends on an individual’s personality, the context of his action, and his culture as to what he considers right or wrong, and eventually, that determines his contentment and happiness.

The modern concepts of happiness and virtue brought along many contrary angles to what ancient scholars stated, but the chief concepts still relate strongly.

Well-being is used by modern moralists as satisfaction and complacency with one’s life, but it also presents a notion of good and valuable life. L. W. Sumner highlights the point that if eudemonia is considered more as “well-being” than happiness, then its link with virtue, as stated by Aristotle, could be justified.

Though Sumner has articulated the debate that immoral and bad individuals can be equally happy as the virtuous ones (as there are people who incessantly desire for more) but even at this age, with exceptional technological advancement and unparalleled access to knowledge, there’s no impartial degree of good and bad desire. The ancient developed strict beliefs and virtues including an instinctive sense of morality and natural moral character. It teaches us how to actualize the ideal of the good life. This can also be comprehended from Edip Yuksel’s idea of permanent (real) happiness.

These approaches on happiness share a common structure: we all implicitly strive for an ultimate purpose in all our actions, but different theories present contradictory versions of its contents. The concept of happiness modified with the time but it always indicated a notion that ultimate happiness, in the context of a good life, cannot be purely achieved if one violates what Mahatma Gandhi stated as- “Happiness is when your thought, your speech, and your actions are in harmony.”

Yuksel, E. Happiness, and Virtue as a Mean. 2009. Web.

From Eudemonia to Happiness. 2009. Web.

Sihvola, J. (2006). Happiness in Ancient Philosophy. 2009. Web.

Julia, A. (1995). The Good Lives and the Good Lives of Others . 2009. Web.

Lockwood, T. (2004). Bryn Mawr Classical Review. 2009. Web.

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The Science of Happiness

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Although happiness can feel like an amorphous concept, science has explored key pieces of the experience, such as which choices, activities, and mindsets lead to fulfillment, common misunderstandings of happiness, and theories that may explain the origin and attainment of well-being.

Happiness incorporates curiosity, and the ability to tolerate risk and anxiety to discover new passions and facets of identity. It involves a balance between momentary pleasure and longer-term striving toward goals. It is abetted by friends and family who can both celebrate accomplishments and provide support after failures. Happiness includes the ability to acknowledge and embrace every emotion, even the unpleasant ones. It involves seeing the big picture, rather than getting stuck in the details. Overall, being happy is to live with mindfulness, meaning, and purpose.

The key to lifelong happiness is taking time to cultivate small tweaks on a regular basis. Incorporating habits into your daily life such as keeping a gratitude journal, practicing kindness, nurturing optimism, learning to forgive, investing in relationships, finding flow activities, avoiding overthinking, savoring life’s joys, and committing to goals can make happiness a permanent fixture.

Some people are naturally more optimistic, positive, and content. Although genetics is, in fact, a key determinant of happiness, people who gravitate toward pessimism are able to change their outlook (to an extent) by reframing negative thoughts and preventing self-criticism .

Our genes may be what influences happiness the most. Behavioral geneticists and psychologists attribute about 50 percent of happiness to genetics, 10 percent to life circumstances, and 40 percent to personal choices. Even if people aren’t born with a bright outlook, committing to improving their happiness on a regular basis can make a difference.

Children and teens today have higher expectations for their life, yet income inequality and other factors make achieving success more difficult. Additionally more people value wealth over relationships than did previously, which can lead to diminished happiness in adulthood. These reasons and others may be why adults are less happy than they used to be .

People often want to avoid difficult emotions, so they reach for quick fixes like tasty treats or luxurious purchases. Those indulgences provide happiness, but only momentarily. Yet pinning all hopes of happiness on milestones like getting married, gaining fame, or becoming wealthy is also misleading. Lasting happiness occurs when we invest in meaningful goals, relationships, and values and develop skills to overcome distress.

People often believe that accomplishments like marriage and wealth will bring lasting happiness, and adverse experiences such as divorce or disease will bring unremitting sadness. But research reveals that bursts of happiness or sadness tied to specific life events are fairly short. Thoughts like “I’ll be happy when I get married” or “I’ll never recover from this diagnosis” turn out to be misperceptions .

People are surprisingly bad at anticipating their future happiness . They tend to overestimate how joyous or upsetting events will be: A promotion will not provide unending fulfillment and a breakup will not be hopelessly tragic. People also recall experiences by the beginning, end, and intense or “peak” moments, rather than by the experience as a whole.

Not at all. A meaningful life encompasses disappointments and loss. Difficult experiences can reveal our core values, motivate us to make change, and render happy moments even more joyous and special.

It seems logical to believe that more choices would lead to better outcomes. But too many choices can lead people to stress about the decision and wonder about the lost alternatives. This is referred to as the paradox of choice, a term coined by psychologist Barry Schwartz.

Many lottery winners wind up no happier than their peers down the road—and some face a distinct downturn, squandering their wealth, dealing with litigation, or navigating life with people who demand a share of the winnings. Yet research suggests that when lottery winners spend their money on basic necessities or moderate consumption, they feel more secure, fortunate, and happy .

Positive psychology is a school of thought devoted to understanding what leads people and communities to flourish. Five agreed-upon factors boost well-being: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Beyond those overarching principles, specific models and concepts have emerged as well.

Every individual is born with a particular “happiness set point” or a baseline level of happiness, research suggests. After experiencing triumphs or tragedies, people adapt to their new circumstances and their emotions generally return to this genetically-determined level of well-being.

Commitment to compassion and altruism may help reset your happiness set point, as the trait most connected to long-term increases in life satisfaction. Helping others leads a person to be happier—perhaps due to higher self-esteem, a sense of self-worth, or a deeper sense of purpose, feeling that lives are important.

When people reach a milestone such as buying a new car or securing a raise, they have a jolt of happiness, but eventually return to baseline. This fuels the so-called hedonic treadmill, in which people continually believe “the next change” will bring happiness. But variety and appreciation can help keep happiness from fading.

The happiness pie is a model for the factors in life that determine happiness. The happiness pie proposes that 50 percent of happiness is due to genes, 10 percent is due to life circumstances, and 40 percent is due to the personal choices we make and activities we engage in to cultivate happiness.

science and human happiness essay in english

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The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101

Whether on a global or an individual level, the pursuit of happiness is one that is gaining traction and scientific recognition.

There are many definitions of happiness, and we will also explore those in this article. For now, we invite you to think of a time when you were happy. Were you alone? With others? Inside? Outside.

At the end of this article, revisit that memory. You may have new insight as to what made that moment “happy,” as well as tips to train your brain towards more happiness.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Happiness & Subjective Wellbeing Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify sources of authentic happiness and strategies to boost wellbeing.

This Article Contains:

A definition of happiness, a look at the science of happiness, the scientific research on happiness at work, 17 interesting facts and findings, a study showing how acts of kindness make us happier, the global pursuit of happiness, measures of happiness, four qualities of life.

How to Train your Brain for Happiness

A Take-Home Message

In general, happiness is understood as the positive emotions we have in regards to the pleasurable activities we take part in through our daily lives.

Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions that increase our happiness and move us to flourish. In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001), the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions.

In a more broad understanding, human wellbeing is made up of both hedonic and Eudaimonic principles, the literature on which is vast and describes our personal meaning and purpose in life (Ryan & Deci, 2001).

Research on happiness over the years has found that there are some contributing correlational factors that affect our happiness. These include (Ryan & Deci, 2001):

Personality Type
Positive Emotions versus Negative Emotions
Attitude towards Physical Health
Social Class and Wealth
Attachment and Relatedness
Goals and Self-Efficacy
Time and Place.

So what is the “ science of happiness? ”

This is one of those times when something is exactly what it sounds like – it’s all about the science behinds what happiness is and how to experience it, what happy people do differently, and what we can do to feel happier.

This focus on happiness is new to the field of psychology; for many decades – basically since the foundation of psychology as a science in the mid- to late-1800s – the focus was on the less pleasant in life. The field focused on pathology, on the worst-scenario cases, on what can go wrong in our lives.

Although there was some attention paid to wellbeing, success, and high functioning, the vast majority of funding and research was dedicated to those who were struggling the most: those with severe mental illness, mental disorders, or those who have survived trauma and tragedy.

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with doing what we can to raise up those who are struggling, there was an unfortunate lack of knowledge about what we can do to bring us all up to a higher level of functioning and happiness.

Positive psychology changed all of that. Suddenly, there was space at the table for a focus on the positive in life, for “ what thoughts, actions, and behaviors make us more productive at work, happier in our relationships, and more fulfilled at the end of the day ” (Happify Daily, n.d.).

The science of happiness has opened our eyes to a plethora of new findings about the sunny side of life.

Current research and studies

For instance, we have learned a lot about what happiness is and what drives us.

Recent studies have shown us that:

Money can only buy happiness up to about $75,000 – after that, it has no significant effect on our emotional wellbeing (Kahneman & Deaton, 2010).
Most of our happiness is not determined by our genetics, but by our experiences and our day-to-day lives (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).
Trying too hard to find happiness often has the opposite effect and can lead us to be overly selfish (Mauss et al., 2012).
Pursuing happiness through social means (e.g., spending more time with family and friends) is more likely to be effective than other methods (Rohrer et al., 2018).
The pursuit of happiness is one place where we should consider ditching the SMART goals; it may be more effective to pursue “vague” happiness goals than more specific ones (Rodas et al., 2018).
Happiness makes us better citizens – it is a good predictor of civic engagement in the transition to adulthood (Fang et al., 2018).
Happiness leads to career success, and it doesn’t have to be “natural” happiness – researchers found that “experimentally enhancing” positive emotions also contributed to improved outcomes at work (Walsh et al., 2018).
There is a linear relationship between religious involvement and happiness. Higher worship service attendance is correlated with more commitment to faith, and commitment to faith is related to greater compassion. Those more compassionate individuals are more likely to provide emotional support to others, and those who provide emotional support to others are more likely to be happy (Krause et al., 2018). It’s a long road, but a direct one!

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There’s been a ton of research on the effects of happiness in the workplace. Much of this is driven by companies who want to find a way to improve productivity, attract new talent, and get a dose of good publicity, all at the same time. After all, who wouldn’t want to do business with and/or work for a company full of happy employees?

Although the jury is still out on exactly how happy employees “should” be for maximum productivity, efficiency, and health, we have learned a few things about the effects of a happy workforce:

People who are happy with their jobs are less likely to leave their jobs, less likely to be absent, and less likely to engage in counterproductive behaviors at work.
People who are happy with their jobs are more likely to engage in behavior that contributes to a happy and productive organization, more likely to be physically healthy, and more likely to be mentally healthy.
Happiness and job performance are related—and the relationship likely works in both directions (e.g., happy people do a better job and people who do a good job are more likely to be happy).
Unit- or team-level happiness is also linked to positive outcomes, including higher customer satisfaction, profit, productivity, employee turnover, and a safer work environment.
In general, a happier organization is a more productive and successful organization (Fisher, 2010).

To sum up the findings we have so far, it’s easy to see that happiness at work does matter – for individuals, for teams, and for organizations overall. We don’t have all the answers about exactly how the relationship between happiness and productivity works, but we know that there is a relationship there.

Lately, many human resources managers, executives, and other organizational leaders have decided that knowing there’s a relationship is good enough evidence to establish happiness-boosting practices at work, which means that we have a lot of opportunities to see the impact of greater happiness at work in the future.

Research in this field is booming, and new findings are coming out all the time. Here are a few of the most interesting facts and findings so far:

Happiness is linked to lower heart rate and blood pressure, as well as healthier heart rate variability.
Happiness can also act as a barrier between you and germs – happier people are less likely to get sick.
People who are happier enjoy greater protection against stress and release less of the stress hormone cortisol.
Happy people tend to experience fewer aches and pains, including dizziness, muscle strain, and heartburn.
Happiness acts as a protective factor against disease and disability (in general, of course).
Those who are happiest tend to live significantly longer than those who are not.
Happiness boosts our immune system, which can help us fight and fend off the common cold.
Happy people tend to make others happier as well, and vice versa – those who do good, feel good!
A portion of our happiness is determined by our genetics (but there’s still plenty of room for attitude adjustments and happiness-boosting exercises!).
Smelling floral scents like roses can make us happier.
Those who are paid by the hour may be happier than those on salary (however, these findings are limited, so take them with a grain of salt!).
Relationships are much more conducive to a happy life than money.
Happier people tend to wear bright colors; it’s not certain which way the relationship works, but it can’t hurt to throw on some brighter hues once in a while—just in case!
Happiness can help people cope with arthritis and chronic pain better.
Being outdoors – especially near the water – can make us happier.
The holidays can be a stressful time, even for the happiest among us – an estimated 44% of women and 31% of men get the “holiday blues.”
Happiness is contagious! When we spend time around happy people, we’re likely to get a boost of happiness as well.

Newman (2015) is the source for the first six facts and findings, and Florentine (2016) for the latter 11 .

Feeling blue? Treat yourself to a decadent dessert.

Feeling frustrated after an argument with a friend? Skip your workout and have an extra scoop of ice cream.

The message is clear: If you want to feel happy, you should focus on your own wishes and desires. Yet this is not the advice that many people grew up hearing. Indeed, most of the world’s religions (and grandmothers everywhere) have long suggested that people should focus on others first and themselves second.

Psychologists refer to such behavior as prosocial behavior and many recent studies have shown that when people have a prosocial focus, doing kind acts for others, their own happiness increases.

But how does prosocial behavior compare to treating yourself in terms of your happiness? And does treating yourself really make you feel happy?

Nelson et al. (2016) presented their research answering these questions.

Participants were divided into four groups and given new instructions each week for four weeks.

One group was instructed to perform random acts of kindness for themselves (such as going shopping or enjoying a favorite hobby); the second group was instructed to perform acts of kindness for others (such as visiting an elderly relative or helping someone carry groceries); the third group was instructed to perform acts of kindness to improve the world (such as recycling or donating to charity); the fourth group was instructed to keep track of their daily activities.

Each week, the participants reported their activities from the previous week, as well as their experience of positive and negative emotions.

At the beginning, the end, and again two weeks after the four-week period, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their psychological flourishing. As a measure of overall happiness, the questionnaire included questions about psychological, social, and emotional wellbeing .

The Results

The results of the study were striking. Only participants who engaged in prosocial behavior demonstrated improvements in psychological flourishing.

Participants who practiced prosocial behavior demonstrated increases in positive emotions from one week to the next. In turn, these increases in feelings such as happiness, joy, and enjoyment predicted increases in psychological flourishing at the end of the study. In other words, positive emotions appeared to have been a critical ingredient linking prosocial behavior to increases in flourishing.

But what about the people who treated themselves?

They did not show the same increases in positive emotions or psychological flourishing as those who engaged in acts of kindness. In fact, people who treated themselves did not differ in positive emotions, negative emotions, or psychological flourishing over the course of the study compared to those who merely kept track of their daily activities.

This research does not say that we shouldn’t treat ourselves, show ourselves self-love when we need it, or enjoy our relaxation when we have it. However, the results of this study strongly suggest that we are more likely to reach greater levels of happiness when we exhibit prosocial behavior and show others kindness through our actions.

In world economic circles, Richard Easterlin investigated the relationship between money and wellbeing.

The Easterlin paradox—”money does not buy happiness” (Mohun, 2012)—sparked a new wave of thinking about wealth and wellbeing.

In 1972, Bhutan chose to pursue a policy of happiness rather than a focus on economic growth tracked via their gross domestic product (GDPP). Subsequently, this little nation has been among the happiest, ranking amongst nations with far superior wealth (Kelly, 2012).

More global organizations and nations are becoming aware and supportive of the importance of happiness in today’s world. This has lead to The United Nations inviting nations to take part in a happiness survey, resulting in the “ World Happiness Report ,” a basis from which to steer public policy. Learn about the World Happiness Report for 2016 .

The United Nations also established World Happiness Day , March 20 th , which was the result of efforts of the Bhutan Kingdom and their Gross National Happiness initiative (Helliwell et al., 2013).

Organizations such as the New Economic Foundation are playing an influential role as an economic think tank that focuses on steering economic policy and development for the betterment of human wellbeing.

Ruut Veenhoven, a world authority on the scientific study of happiness, was one of the sources of inspiration for the United Nations General Assembly (2013) adopting happiness measures. Veenhoven is a founding member of the World Database of Happiness , which is a comprehensive scientific repository of happiness measures worldwide.

The objective of this organization is to provide a coordinated collection of data, with common interpretation according to a scientifically validated happiness theory, model, and body of research.

At this point, you might be wondering: Is it possible to measure happiness? Many psychologists have devoted their careers to answering this question and in short, the answer is yes.

Happiness can be measured by these three factors: the presence of positive emotions, the absence of negative emotions, and life satisfaction (Ryan & Deci, 2001). It is a uniquely subjective experience, which means that nobody is better at reporting on someone’s happiness than the individuals themselves.

For this reason scales, self-report measures, and questionnaires are the most common formats for measuring happiness. The most recognized examples are the following:

The PANAS (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule);
The SWLS (Satisfaction With Life Scale) ;
The SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale)

However, there are many instruments available to measure happiness that have proven reliable and valid over time (Hefferon & Boniwell, 2011).

Of the four dimensions, satisfaction is our personal subjective measure of happiness as we interpret life as a whole. Veenhoven’s (2010) global research into happiness suggests that happiness is possible for many.

This is an overview of his Four Qualities:

Using Veenhoven’s Four Qualities it is possible to assess the happiness of any country.

Liveability of environment

This dimension includes factors such as law, freedom, schooling, employment, electricity or gas, etc. It is a measurement of how well an environment meets what Maslow proposed as our basic needs (safety, security, shelter, food) (Maslow, 1943).

Life-ability of individuals

The ability of individuals to deal with life is important; both mental and physical health are identified as important factors, together with social values of solidarity, tolerance, and love (Veenhoven, 2010).

Utility of life

In this dimension, Veenhoven (2010) references a higher-order meaning, for example, religious affiliations.

Uchida et al. (2014) found that high levels of national disaster negatively impacted a nation’s level of happiness.

Satisfaction

Happiness is a complex construct that cannot be directly controlled. Through policy and individual and organizational action, one can endeavor to influence and increase happiness (Veenhoven, 2010).

However, happiness is a subjective experience and only once we change the way we perceive the world can we really begin sharing and creating happiness for others.

But is it possible to train yourself to be happier?

The answer is yes!

How to Train Your Brain for Happiness

At birth, our genetics provide us a set point that accounts for some portion of our happiness. Having enough food, shelter, and safety account for another portion.

There’s also quite a bit of happiness that’s entirely up to us (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005).

By training our brain through awareness and exercises to think in a happier, more optimistic, and more resilient way, we can effectively train our brains for happiness.

New discoveries in the field of positive psychology show that physical health, psychological wellbeing, and physiological functioning are all improved by how we learn to “feel good” (Fredrickson, et al., 2000).

What Are The Patterns We Need To “Train Out” of Our Brains?

Perfectionism – Often confused with conscientiousness, which involves appropriate and tangible expectations, perfectionism involves inappropriate levels of expectations and intangible goals. It often produces problems for adults, adolescents, and children.
Social comparison – When we compare ourselves to others we often find ourselves lacking. Healthy social comparison is about finding what you admire in others and learning to strive for those qualities. However, the best comparisons we can make are with ourselves. How are you better than you were in the past?
Materialism – Attaching our happiness to external things and material wealth is dangerous, as we can lose our happiness if our material circumstances change (Carter & Gilovich, 2010).
Maximizing – Maximizers search for better options even when they are satisfied. This leaves them little time to be present for the good moments in their lives and with very little gratitude (Schwartz et al., 2002).

Misconceptions About Mind Training

Some of the misconceptions about retraining your brain are simply untrue. Here are a few myths that need debunking:

1. We are products of our genetics so we cannot create change in our brains.

Our minds are malleable. Ten years ago we thought brain pathways were set in early childhood. In fact, we now know that there is huge potential for large changes through to your twenties, and neuroplasticity is still changing throughout one’s life.

The myelin sheath that covers your neural pathways gets thicker and stronger the more it is used (think of the plastic protective covering on wires); the more a pathway is used, the stronger the myelin and the faster the neural pathway. Simply put, when you practice feeling grateful, you notice more things to be grateful for.

2. Brain training is brainwashing.

Brainwashing is an involuntary change. If we focus on training our mind to see the glass half full instead of half empty, that is a choice.

3. If we are too happy we run the risk of becoming overly optimistic.

There is no such thing as overly optimistic, and science shows that brain training for positivity includes practices like mindfulness and gratitude. No one has ever overdosed on these habits.

How Is The Brain Wired For Happiness?

Can You Train Your Mind for Happiness? - Brain scan

Our brains come already designed for happiness. We have caregiving systems in place for eye contact, touch, and vocalizations to let others know we are trustworthy and secure .

Our brains also regulate chemicals like oxytocin.

People who have more oxytocin trust more readily, have increased tendencies towards monogamy, and exhibit more caregiving behavior. These behaviors reduce stress which lowers production of hormones like cortisol and inhibits the cardiovascular response to stress (Kosfeld et al., 2005).

The following TED talk provides an insight into how we can overcome our negative mental patterns:

If happiness has little to do with having too many resources, then it is an inner state that we have the power to cultivate. The above video even offers specific exercises for you to try. Just by doing them, you are actively re-wiring your brain towards calm and happy sensations.

Meanwhile, this TED talk gives a better understanding of how to wire your brain to accept the positivity and happiness in your life:

The negativity bias that Dr. Rick Hanson discusses can help us understand how we can activate and “install” positive thinking as part of our core brain chemistry. If you don’t have a moment to watch either of these videos now, make time for it later—they are rich with relevant data and tips.

17 Exercises To Increase Happiness and Wellbeing

Add these 17 Happiness & Subjective Well-Being Exercises [PDF] to your toolkit and help others experience greater purpose, meaning, and positive emotions.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Happiness is the overall subjective experience of our positive emotions. There are many factors which influence our happiness, and ongoing research continues to uncover what makes us happiest.

This global pursuit of happiness has resulted in measures such as the World Happiness Report, while the World Happiness Database is working to collaborate and consolidate the existing happiness pursuits of different nations.

We are living in a time when the conditions for happiness are known. This can be disheartening at times when there is much negativity in the world.

There is, however, good news in this situation: neuroplasticity.

The human brain is wired for happiness and positive connections with others. It is actually possible to experience and learn happiness despite what has been genetically hardwired.

In a world where the focus on happiness is growing and the mirror is turning back towards ourselves, the happiness of the world relies on the happiness within each one of us and how we act, share, and voice the importance of happiness for everyone.

What are the steps you are taking to make yourself and others happier? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Happiness Exercises for free .

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Fang, S., Galambos, N. L., Johnson, M. D., & Krahn, H. J. (2018). Happiness is the way: Paths to civic engagement between young adulthood and midlife. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 42 (4), 425–433.
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Florentine, E. (2016, July 1). 11 Scientific facts about happiness. Bustle . Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/articles/169675-11-scientific-facts-about-happiness-that-youll-want-to-know.
Fredrickson, B. L., Mancuso, R. A., Branigan, C., & Tugade, M. M. (2000). The undoing effect of positive emotions . Motivation and Emotion , 24 (4), 237–258.
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What our readers think.

Thank you for this beautiful well written article. I came across it during my research regarding the science of happiness. The beauty in writing this post is the power to influence souls in a positive manner many who you will not meet.

Sending some love and light to you and all those who get to read your blog.

Being in the field of Human Resource for four decades, coming across and dealing with millions of minds, after reading your article, gives a feeling that I have learnt something new today…

Thank you and congratulations for such a informative work.

God bless…

Thank you for your search light into one of the nerve center of our generation. i will like to use part of this in my upcoming book

Hello Katherine, Now reading https://positivepsychology.com/happiness/ Salute to you for enriching us. Nearly hundred of us relatives are creating an audio book for our blind uncle about life skills. Any quote from you that I can add in the document? Will be grateful. regards, Prabodh Sirur

Hi Prabodh,

Wow, that sounds like a lovely gift for your uncle! We actually have a couple of posts containing quotes about happiness, so you may want to take a look at those for some inspiration. You can find those here and here .

Hope this helps, and good luck with the audiobook!

– Nicole | Community Manager

Thanks for your article, I translated this article for a mental health lesson and I really enjoyed this article.

Thank you for this super helpful article!!

Thank You for such an Informative and Detailed Article on Science of Happiness. I am a Budding Happiness Life Coach and stumbled on this Article. This gives me more understanding of Happiness in Scientific way, with your permission, I would like to share my learning in my course. Thank You and looking forward for more such Articles. Thank You and God Bless You

Hi Srinivas, Thank you for your lovely feedback. We’re glad you liked the article. Feel free to share it with others by clicking ‘Yes’ on the ‘Was this article useful to you’ button. From there, a range of sharing options will appear. – Nicole | Community Manager

Thanks, very nice lecture and informative But I wish to know more about role of religious effects on Happiness? another thing is it ok to translate lecture to other language and share it? Regards Dr Eirebi Albogasim

Hi Dr. Albogasim, Thanks for reading. There’s quite a bit of research showing that those who practice religion tend to be happier than the general population ( here’s an article on the topic). And yes, feel free to translate and share the lecture. – Nicole | Community Manager

I stumbled on your article as I am researching on Happiness to publish my 3rd book. Thanks for sharing! A very elaborate and informative article. The “Take home message” is very encouraging. And I vouch for the neuroplasticity of the brain. We can train ourselves to be Happy. Once we change our attitude, it is easy to be Happy. I learnt how to be Happy at the age of 23. Few years back I posted an article sharing my findings on Happiness in this Linked-in forum. Please see the link for the same https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/easy-happy-ramesh-thota-pmp-cqa/ . Appreciate if you can share your views.

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The Science of Happiness: How Our Brains Make Us Happy-and What We Can Do to Get Happier

The Phenomenal #1 International Bestseller--An Enthralling Exploration of the How and Why Behind the Science of Happiness We all know what it feels like to be happy, but what mechanisms inside our brains trigger such a positive emotion? What does it really mean to be happy, and why can’t we feel that way all of the time? Psychologists and neuroscientists have been studying negative emotions for decades, but until recently few have focused on the subject of happiness. Now, in The Science of Happiness, leading science journalist Stefan Klein ranges widely across the latest frontiers of neuroscience and psychology to explain how happiness is generated in our brains, what biological purpose it serves, and the conditions required to foster the "pursuit of happiness." A remarkable synthesis of a growing body of research that has not heretofore been brought together, The Science of Happiness is, ultimately, a book that helps us understand our own quest for happiness—and is certain to help make you happier.

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विज्ञान के वरदान पर निबंध: Hindi Essays on the Gift of Science

Short Essay on Science and Human Happiness

admin October 5, 2017 Essays in English 12,321 Views

Science can be called one of the greatest blessings of this age. We owe all our progress to it. It has brought everyone closer and also made life very comfortable. Today we can go round the globe in a matter of hours. We can also talk to our loved ones across the world by just pushing buttons.

Inventions such as washing machine, refrigerator, air-conditioner, dish-washer, geyser etc. Make our lives very comfortable. Television, Cinema and Compact discs have changed the entertainment industry for ever. Thousands of lives are saved every day due to the progress of medical science. No industry or office can do without computers today. In fact, computers can be called the greatest invention of modern age.

However, science has also brought a lot of misery upon man. It has created diseases such as AIDS and cancer. Nuclear weapons can destroy our planet several times over. Our moral values have also suffered damage. People think nothing less of killing others to further their own interests. Money and power are the new gods. We worship science but use it to destroy our planet and fellow beings.

It is not impossible to remove at least some of the curses of science. We must resolve to use it only to make life batter for man. We must also not pollute our planet or cut trees any more. We must not build any more arms until every man has food on his plate. In this way, we can build a world which will be happier for all of us.

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Studying happiness

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Understanding happiness

Learn how the origins of joy can improve the way we lead organizations—and our personal lives.

Practicing happiness

Research shows that short writing exercises reliving happy moments boosted the moods of adults recovering from addiction.

The Leadership and Happiness Laboratory

The Leadership and Happiness Laboratory conducts research and creates resources for leaders to learn the science of happiness, apply it in their own lives, and share it with others.

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Managing Happiness

What if you can will yourself to be happy? This free online course gives participants data-backed strategies to make themselves happier.

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Health and happiness

Research has long indicated the link between our happiness and physical health. A study from the Harvard Chan School finds a host of health benefits that accompany an optimistic attitude.

Good genes are nice, but joy is better

When scientists began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938, they hoped the study would reveal clues to leading healthy and happy lives. They got more than they ever expected.

Health and happiness go hand in hand

No matter your current state of happiness, there are ways to boost your outlook and give your mental and physical health a lift.

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Essay on “Science and Human Happiness” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Science and Human Happiness

Essay No. 01

There is no doubt that science has been the greatest boon to man so far. But the achievements of science have not come to man as a ripe apple falls in the lap of a man sitting under an apple tree. Science is not just the result of observation and experience. It is, on the other hand , the result of centuries of hard work done by man, even at the risk of his own life or health.

Today, man can fly in space, he can fly in the air like birds. He can swim on the surface of the sea like fishes. He can move on the earth at tremendous speed. More recently, he can keep sitting at home and do Tele-Shopping. He can chat and learn a lot on the internet and also express his own viewpoint through e-mail.

If some outstanding scientific achievements of the twentieth century are to be mentioned, the discovery of electricity must perhaps come at the top. The electricity brings in its train innumerable devices like the fluorescent tube, the bulb, the fan, the desert cooler, the air –conditioner, the geyser etc. Even the printing presses, textile and hundreds of other mills and factories and the cinematography and computers and T.V. sets and the radio also work with electricity through the battery cells may also be used in some cases.

The most notable achievements of science are in the fields of agriculture, industry and medicine and surgery.

In the fields of medicine and surgery, literally miraculous progress has been done, what are these- the bypass surgery, ballooning, hear and kidney and bone-marrow transplant? They are nothing short of miracles.

Today, the people are greatly health conscious. Longevity has increased in most of the countries. Child mortality has been greatly reduced in number. We have so many health centers, gyms and slimming centers and nursing homes, hospitals and maternity centers.

In the field of education and dissemination of knowledge, we have the use of e-mail, e-class-rooms, better schools, new teaching and learning methods, study through cassettes and several video audio methods.

In fact man is still exploring the vast uncharted vista on the earth and in the sky. He is still trying to probe deeply into the past. Let us hope for the best.

Essay No. 02

Modem age is the age of science. Wherever we go, we find articles based on some or the other scientific formulas.

For instance, many of the students and office goers get awakened with the help of an alarm clock. The factory goers learn about the factory time through the buzzing of a hooter.

People generally go to places of work by using one or the other vehicle. The food they eat is prepared on the stove or gas oven. The clothes they wear are prepared in big factories and mills.

Science has enabled the modern man to fly in air like birds and swim in the sea like fishes. Even more than that he can even travel in space which the birds can’t do. All the modern means of travel and other devices are the inventions of science.

One important discovery of science is electricity which has made the working of so many factories and mills possible.

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SCIENCE AND HUMAN HAPPINESS: Essay Topics

SCIENCE AND HUMAN HAPPINESS

Ours is the age of science. The contribution of science to human happiness is by no means small. Borders of human knowledge have been pushed forward in all directions. Man’s working capacity, in all fields has enormously increased. It is by virtue of scientific knowledge that man has performed stupendous tasks. Man has explored the bottom of the oceans, conquered the high mountains, stepped on the moon and now hopes to set foot on the other planets also. Science has given sophisticated instruments to man for research and the deadly weapons of offence and of defence.

Transport and communication have become extremely easy. Time and distance have been almost annihilated. Radio, TV and now Internet have made it possible to know many things of the importance that happen in any part of the globe.Radio television, cinematograph provide entertainment and knowledge. Two powerful agents – steam and electricity have revolutionized the world. The two grand servants, electricity and steam have accomplished mammoth tasks for men. Electricity is working wonders. Electricity is a magic-hand maid. It has given in our hands the lamp of Aladdin; with the help of it we run our water coolers, water heaters, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, radios, televisions,typewriters, printing machines, computers and numerous other important and useful machines. Science has helped save labour, time and money. Science has helped us to right against diseases. Sources of these far ‘incurable’ diseases have been successfully encountered with. Science has enabled the blinds to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to talk, the lame to walk – science has made the birth easy, death difficult; life comfortable; pleasure more pleasant. Painless and bloodless surgery has already become a practical possibility. Sulpha drugs, streptomycin, penicillin, aspirin etc. have reduced human suffering to a great extent. Birth and death have already been brought under control. Science and life have become synonyms. Blessings of the science are numerous. We are born and we die under the shadow of science. Science is our eyes, ears, nose, throat, lungs, hands, feet and all.

Science has its darker side too. The banes and the boons of science balance each other in well-balanced pans of a scale. Science has contributed to human comforts greatly, but what is the contribution of science towards happiness? It is very doubtful as science has made life – human life ‘happy’. Not only human life but science has also made the typewriters, printing machines, computers and numerous other important and useful machines. Science has helped save labour, time and money. Science has helped us to right against diseases. Sources of these far ‘incurable’ diseases have been successfully encountered with. Science has enabled the blinds to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to talk, the lame to walk – science has made the birth easy, death difficult; life comfortable; pleasure more pleasant. Painless and bloodless surgery has already become a practical possibility. Sulpha drugs, streptomycin, penicillin, aspirin etc. have reduced human suffering to a great extent. Birth and death have already been brought under control. Science and life have become synonyms. Blessings of the science are numerous. We are born and we die under the shadow of science. Science is our eyes, ears, nose, throat, lungs, hands, feet and all.

life of even animals, the so-called lower creation, happy. Comfort can be misnamed happiness. Science has made life happier but comfort is not happiness and comfort means the annihilation of all incentives to work. Human life has been so much mechanized that had we been able to walk about rather than being carried about, lifted about, dragged about, flown about, pushed and jolted about, and rocketed to and fro, life could have been happier. Science has turned man into machines, robots – working, eating, seeing, hearing mechanically. We have given ourselves away for this ‘sordid boon’ of science. Nothing is ours. Science has brain washed us, it has ‘brain drained’ us. We human beings are human machines. If a part of the body, human or animal, is disfigured, mutilated or amputated, “don’t worry”, the doctors say. Artificial limbs, foot, leg; arm can be attached to the body to replace the damaged one. The exterior or interior parts that cannot be manufactured synthetically or artificially, an identical part from another human being or even of an animal can be transplanted. A kidney, an eye, the liver, a lung, and even the heart can be and has also been transplanted. Science can give new hearts in place of old ones. Though science has made possible the replacement, transplantation or even exchange of heart, yet science has not been able to bring about the “change of hearts” which is essential agency which remains as ‘unfulfilled’ as ever. Here science has failed – science has failed the scientists. Science is the ethics, the religion of the atheists.

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Science and Human Happiness - English Essay

Science and human happiness, english essay on "science and human happiness" - composition on "science and human happiness", no comments:, post a comment.

Science and Human Happiness Essay

Science is a product of curiosity. Man is curious by nature. Man is always trying to learn new things and for his curiosity, he has tried to use science. But later man used it to his advantage. Science has given us a lot. Some of these things make us happy and others go against it.

Man used science for medical purposes. The man received several life-saving drugs for various ailments. Diagnosis of various diseases has become very easy and accurate. Previously, the disease was difficult to diagnose and was treated with trial and error.

But now with accurate and correct diagnoses, human life has increased. It gets better in a few days. He doesn’t have to suffer for long. It’s all because of science and thus contributes to human happiness.

Science has brought many sources of entertainment for men. We now have movie theaters, musical instruments, radios, televisions, VCRs and other devices that can save us from living a sluggish and monotonous life. These things not only entertain us but also increase our knowledge.

They educate us, enchant us and develop us. In addition, science has saved us from the scorching heat of the sun. We can use a room cooler to keep the room cool. In winter we can use space heaters to heat our room. Training has also accelerated. Trains, buses and planes have made travel easier and faster. In this way, man has tried to get all the comforts of life on earth through science.

Science has also eliminated some of the problems for humans. Airplanes have made our journey easier and faster. They take us to remote places in a short time, but they also do bombing. Medicine has increased our lifespan, but the discovery of scooters, cars, trains and airplanes, etc., has led to large-scale accidents and delays.

The death toll has risen. Men’s lives are uncertain these days. He runs around like a frightened animal to save his life. Science has also developed many deadly weapons and brought humanity to the brink of war.

But this is not the fault of science. It is a tool in the human hand. Man has misused it to his advantage. In general, we can say that science is not a bad thing, but a source of happiness for human beings.

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A young girl runs across a grassy lawn, trailed by a small dachshund.

The Dogs Helping the Covenant Children Find Their Way Back

To heal after a mass shooting, the Covenant School families have turned to therapy, faith, one another — and a lot of dogs.

Monroe Joyce, 10, runs with one of two dachshunds taken in by her family. She is one of several children who now have a dog after surviving the Covenant School shooting. Credit...

Supported by

By Emily Cochrane

Photographs by Erin Schaff

Emily Cochrane and Erin Schaff spoke with more than a dozen Covenant School parents, students, staff and their dogs.

Published March 24, 2024 Updated March 28, 2024

Two of April Manning’s children, Mac and Lilah, had just survived the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. They needed stability and time to grieve.

Listen to this article with reporter commentary

Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

So she did everything she could to keep the family dog, Owen, their sweet but ailing 15-year-old golden retriever, with them for as long as possible. She pushed back his final trip to the vet, keeping him comfortable as he slowly moved around the house.

Getting another dog was the furthest thing from her mind. But a few weeks after the shooting, her children sat her down for an important presentation.

Prepared with a script and a PowerPoint — “Why We Should Get (Another) Dog” — they rattled through research showing the mental health benefits of having one. It could limit their chances of developing PTSD and help them feel safe. Playing together would get them outside and boost their happiness.

Ms. Manning and her husband considered. Maybe a second dog was possible.

First came Chip, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Then, after Owen succumbed to old age, came Birdie, a miniature poodle and Bernese Mountain dog mix. And in taking them in, the Mannings were far from alone.

In the year since Tennessee’s worst school shooting, in which three third-graders and three staff members were killed by a former student, more than 40 dogs have been taken in by families at Covenant, a small Christian school of about 120 families.

“I really only expected them to help in a cuddly kind of way, like just to snuggle the kids when they’re upset ,” Ms. Manning said. “But I wasn’t really expecting all the other benefits from them.”

To spend time with the Covenant families is to understand how they have relied on one another, traditional psychological treatments and mental health counseling, and their Christian faith to hold them together.

But it is also to see how often what they needed — a distraction, a protector, a friend who could listen, something untouched by darkness — came from a dog.

An Immediate Response

Dogs greeted the surviving children at Sandy Hook Elementary School as they returned to a refurbished middle school in 2013. A dozen golden retrievers were on hand in Orlando to provide comfort after the deadly attack at a L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub in 2016. The therapy dogs who tended to the surviving students in Parkland, Fla., made the school yearbook .

“Over this period of sort of, 35,000 years, dogs have become incredibly adept at socializing with humans, so they’re sensitive to our emotional state,” said Dr. Nancy Gee, who oversees the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Even brief, minute-long interactions with dogs and other animals can reduce cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, research by Dr. Gee and others has shown, providing a possible lifeline for veterans struggling with PTSD and others recovering from trauma.

And on the day of the Covenant shooting, dogs were immediately there to help. Covey, the headmaster’s dog, was at a nearby firehouse, where dozens of staff members and students were evacuated. Squid, a retriever mix, was at the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, helping to comfort the staff if needed.

When the students who survived were put on a school bus to be reunited with their anguished parents, Sgt. Bo, a police dog, was sitting at their side.

Officer Faye Okert, the dog’s handler with the Metro Nashville Police, handed out a baseball card of dog facts to distract and comfort the children.

“The focus was on him,” said Officer Okert. “You had smiles after what they had been through.”

After families reunited, counselors offered clear advice: To help your child, get a dog. Or borrow a neighbor’s.

That led several parents to connect with Comfort Connections, a nonprofit comfort dog organization. Jeanene Hupy, the group’s founder, had seen firsthand how therapy dogs had helped the Sandy Hook students and started her own organization once she moved to Nashville.

The group, which oversees a menagerie of golden retrievers, a gentle pit bull and a massive English mastiff, began its work by visiting individual homes in the days after the shooting. Then, when students returned to class weeks later, the dogs were once again there.

They were something to look forward to, in the moments when walking through the school doors felt overwhelming. And when there were painful reminders — a water bottle clattering to the floor, an unsettling history lesson on war or the absence of a friend — a child could slip away and cuddle a dog.

As Ms. Hupy put it, something special happens “when you bring in something that loves you more than it loves itself, which is these guys.”

A Reassuring Presence

First it was a joke, then a reality: Everyone was getting a dog.

Fueled by community donations and her own money, Ms. Hupy began connecting several parents and puppies. Even for families who could easily afford a new dog, Ms. Hupy and her trainers dramatically eased the logistical hurdles by finding and training puppies that seemed perfect fits to each family.

The Anderson girls shrieked and cried with joy when they learned they were getting a dog, and have now taught Leo how to flaunt sunglasses and do tricks. The Hobbs children constantly scoop up Lady Diana Spencer, often fashionably dressed in a string of pearls or sweaters.

The dogs are also there in the harder moments, too, like when an ambulance or police car drives by blaring its siren or when the memorial ribbons in their neighborhood remind them of what was lost.

“Sometimes it’s just nice to have a giant soft pillow that doesn’t need to talk to you and just cuddle it,” said Evangeline Anderson, now 11.

And if the dogs chew on a shoe or make a mess on a rug, Ms. Manning said, it is a lesson in how to deal with conflicting emotions.

“We still love them and we’re so glad we have them — both things can be true,” she said. “Just like we can be really nervous about going back to school and still also be excited to do it.”

And maybe, the parents realized, it was not just for the children.

Rachel and Ben Gatlin were driving back from vacation on the day of the shooting. That has meant grappling with the heaviness of survival and knowing that Mr. Gatlin, a history teacher who carried a pistol on his ankle for personal protection, could have run toward the shooter that day.

And while their new dog, Buddy, has adapted to the bossiness of their young children and has developed a penchant for sock consumption, he has also kept the adults’ thoughts focused in the moment. Tending to his needs has served as a reminder of their own.

“When you see it working, you’re in total comfort,” Ms. Gatlin said.

Even the school’s chaplain, Matthew Sullivan, found that the stories of new puppies being shared each day in chapel were “wearing me down in a good way.”

“I kind of wanted to enter into the experience of all these families firsthand,” he said.

Now Hank, a slightly anxious, floppy-eared Scooby-Doo doppelgänger, has been adopted into his home, which had been a little empty without his grown children.

The Alternatives

Not everyone got a dog.

For the McLeans, the solution was two rabbits.

“It’s an incredible distraction to their reality,” Abby McLean said of her children, cupping her hands to mimic cradling a rabbit on her shoulder. “I find myself occasionally doing it as well.”

Another family added Ginny, a tortoise with a possible seven-decade life span, to the mix of animals already in their house.

“For having lost people early in life — there was something that equated to me in that, that there was a longevity to it, to a tortoise,” said Phil Shay, who picked out the tortoise with his 12-year-old daughter, Ever.

Still, the dogs far outnumber the other pets. And every day they can make a little difference.

The first night that George, Jude and Amos Bolton had tried to sleep alone without their parents after the shooting, the slightest grumble from the ice machine or the dryer had been too much. Their mother, Rachel, who had maintained that she liked dogs, just not in her house, soon agreed to take in Hudson, a miniature Goldendoodle puppy with doe-like eyes and wild curls.

“We didn’t realize the dogs could create comfort for people,” Jude, now 10, said, his hands ruffling Hudson’s ears. And when Hudson came home, he added, “he’s just been comforting us ever since.”

It is now easier to sleep through the night, safe with the knowledge that Hudson is there.

“All my friends joke, they’re like, ‘I can’t believe you’re a dog person now,’” Ms. Bolton said. But this dog, she added, “has healed this family.”

Read by Emily Cochrane

Audio produced by Patricia Sulbarán .

Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville. More about Emily Cochrane

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Science and Human Happiness Essay & Paragraph
These are questions that require thinking. And the answer to these lies in our following 1000-word long scholarly essay: 'Science and Human Happiness'. Then there is a short 100-word 'Science and Human Happiness Paragraph', which summarizes the subject in a few sentences. Science is constantly inventing ways and means to make people happy.
Science and Human Happiness Essay
Science and Human Happiness Essay. This age of ours is the age of science, and much of man's happiness depends on how man utilizes the immense power of science. Imagic how the man of today can survive without the various scientific discoveries and inventions made from time to time, which have rendered his life comfortable and worth living ...
83. English Essay Example on: Science and Human Happiness
Science and Human Happiness. The modern age is the age of science. Wherever we go, we find articles based on some of the other scientific formulas. For instance, many of the students and office goers get awakened with the help of an alarm clock. The factory goers learn about the factory time through the buzzing of a hooter.
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness Essay
Introduction. Positive psychology is a science of positive features of the life of a human being, including happiness, welfare, and prosperity. It stretches back in history a long way. The modern studies of happiness and ancient views on the good life relate and contrast to each other from different angles.
Psychology of Happiness: A Summary of the Theory & Research
Affective state theory. To recap, this theory of happiness proposes that happiness is the result of one's overall emotional state. Bradburn (1969) put forward the argument that happiness is made up of two separate components that are quite independent and uncorrelated: positive affect and negative affect.
The Science of Happiness
Although happiness can feel like an amorphous concept, science has explored key pieces of the experience, such as which choices, activities, and mindsets lead to fulfillment, common ...
The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101
Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions that increase our happiness and move us to flourish. In scientific literature, happiness is referred to as hedonia (Ryan & Deci, 2001), the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative emotions. In a more broad understanding, human wellbeing is ...
The Science of Happiness: How Our Brains Make Us Happy-and What We Can
Psychologists and neuroscientists have been studying negative emotions for decades, but until recently few have focused on the subject of happiness. Now, in The Science of Happiness, leading science journalist Stefan Klein ranges widely across the latest frontiers of neuroscience and psychology to explain how happiness is generated in our ...
PDF The Four Essays on 'human life and on happiness'
The four essays explore the nature of the good life, and thus happiness, and philosophy can be, or is, a means for achieving it: hence 'happiness essays'. 2. They are presented as speeches, or perhaps inter-connected soliloquies. The style of Ep, Sto, and Pl are surprisingly Non-Humean, more like ironical allusions to 'enthusiasm' (Of ...
Short Essay on Science and Human Happiness
Short Essay on Science and Human Happiness. Science has become very important in today's life. It plays a role in almost every part of our lives. It has changed modern life so mush that today we can do nothing without science, unless we live in the jungle like tribal. Science can be called one of the greatest blessings of this age.
Happiness
Good genes are nice, but joy is better. When scientists began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938, they hoped the study would reveal clues to leading healthy and happy lives. They got more than they ever expected. Learn more about the study.
Essay on Happiness for Students and Children in English
February 12, 2024 by Prasanna. Happiness Essay: There is no one hard and fast definition for the term happiness. Happiness differs from person to person; different people have different perceptions and conceptions of being happy. Whatever that may be, Happiness is an essential feature of human life. Without it, life holds no meaning at all.
Essay on "Science and Human Happiness" Complete Essay for Class 10
Science and Human Happiness. Essay No. 01 . There is no doubt that science has been the greatest boon to man so far. But the achievements of science have not come to man as a ripe apple falls in the lap of a man sitting under an apple tree. Science is not just the result of observation and experience.
SCIENCE AND HUMAN HAPPINESS: Essay Topics-New Speech Topics
Science has made life happier but comfort is not happiness and comfort means the annihilation of all incentives to work. Human life has been so much mechanized that had we been able to walk about rather than being carried about, lifted about, dragged about, flown about, pushed and jolted about, and rocketed to and fro, life could have been happier.
Short Essay on Science and Human Happiness
Science and Human Happiness Introduction: Modern science has been considered a boon on mankind, because it has opened our eyes and has removed the darkness of ignorance which always led us on the wrong track. Science has removed the age-old ideas and superstitions and has taught us how to look at things scientifically. It has […]
education sight: Science and Human Happiness
English Essay on "Science and Human Happiness" - Composition on "Science and Human Happiness" The modern science hid its beginning in the seventeenth century. It has made great progress and added much to the comfort of human life. It has conquered space and tire it has linked t gather all the part of the world.
An Essay On The Science and Human Happiness
An Essay On The Science and Human Happiness - Articles - Eng | PDF | Wireless | Surgery. An Essay on the Science and Human Happiness _ Articles _ Eng - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. essay.
Science and Human Happiness Essay
Science and Human Happiness Essay. Science is a product of curiosity. Man is curious by nature. Man is always trying to learn new things and for his curiosity, he has tried to use science. But later man used it to his advantage. Science has given us a lot. Some of these things make us happy and others go against it. Man used science for medical ...
essay on Science and human happiness in english
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Paragraph on Science and Human Happiness in English || Essay on Science
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The Dogs Helping the Covenant Children Find Their Way Back
Monroe Joyce, 10, runs with one of two dachshunds taken in by her family. She is one of several children who now have a dog after surviving the Covenant School shooting. Emily Cochrane and Erin ...

Science and Human Happiness Essay & Paragraph

Science and Human Happiness Essay, 1000 Words

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Science and Human Happiness Essay

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83. English Essay Example on: Science and Human Happiness

Science and Human Happiness

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Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness Essay

Aristotle’s concept of virtue and doctrine of the mean

Subjective Well-being

The Science of Happiness

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The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology 101

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A Take-Home Message

Current research and studies

Download 3 Free Happiness Exercises (PDF)

Download 3 Free Happiness Tools Pack (PDF)

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Liveability of environment

Life-ability of individuals

Utility of life

Satisfaction

How to Train Your Brain for Happiness

What Are The Patterns We Need To “Train Out” of Our Brains?

Misconceptions About Mind Training

How Is The Brain Wired For Happiness?

17 Exercises To Increase Happiness and Wellbeing

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